Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Menu

Category Archives: Happy Tails

Brody’s a special kitty who was born with Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH), a neurological condition that results in walking and balance problems. While he has trouble getting around on his own, he loves cuddles and is a happy-go-lucky kitty. Although Brody also suffers from poor eyesight, he’s otherwise healthy and enjoys the life of a pampered housecat like any other. He particularly loves the company of other cats and dogs so we knew he would make a great buddy to an existing pet in a family.

After two of her cats passed away from old age, Dolores decided it was time to again open her home to a cat in need and to find a friend for her other two female cats. She found Brody on VOKRA’s website and thought he would make the perfect companion for her “girls”, Nugget and Doodles. Then, several years after Brody came home with Dolores, she adopted Bojangles, another kitty with CH.

Brody adores having Bojangles in his life, as do Nugget and Doodles. Thank you Dolores for opening up your home to not one but two special needs kitties!

Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at communications@vokra.ca.

Daisy’s a black beauty with cerebellar hypoplasia, which means she has a “wobbly walk” and a tendency to fall down, but otherwise is just like other cats. She enjoys the company of people, whether being brushed, pet or just relaxing on the couch. Despite her gentle nature, Daisy spent the first three and half years of her life in foster homes.

Trace is a cat lover who always had cats in the family home growing up. After receiving a promotion at work, she decided the perfect way to celebrate was to open up her home to a special needs cat. Trace arranged to meet Daisy in her foster home after viewing her profile on our website. During the visit, “Daisy leaned into me to steady herself and let me pet her,” said Trace. “I knew then that I wanted to take her home.”

Although shy at first, with time and patience Daisy slowly learned to trust Trace and embrace her new life as a pampered housecat. She loves playing with cloth measuring tapes and clean, empty pill bottles. Trace thinks Daisy likes the way the bottles move in unpredictable ways – just like her! She also loves sleeping in Trace’s lap or leaning her head on her palm with at least one foot on her person. “I think she feels safe that way,” Trace said. “It’s very cute.”

Daisy’s wobbly mechanics sometimes make mealtimes messy. Like a good cat mom, Trace keeps an eye on her so she doesn’t fall into her food. As a writer Trace spends several hours a day working on her computer, which makes Daisy a little jealous! She’s a vocal cat and not shy about voicing her displeasure at not being the center of attention.

We’re so glad Daisy was able to find such a doting, patient guardian in Trace. Thank you for opening up your home to a special needs kitty.

Trace said it best when she told us, “I like to think the universe was waiting for us to find each other. I love my new fur roommate.”

Louisa, her son and their kitten Bailey were left with a hole in their family when their beloved dog passed away at age 15 from old age. Having grown up with him from six weeks to 11 months old, Bailey was particularly attached to his canine friend and was distraught after his passing. After a few months Louisa decided Bailey needed a friend. When she looked up the available kittens on our website she quickly came across Maeve, a special needs kitten with feline cerebellar hypoplasia (CH).

CH is a neurological condition that results in walking and balance problems and is caused when the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls fine motor skills and coordination, is underdeveloped at birth. Maeve didn’t let her CH slow her down and was quite the busy kitten in her foster home! She spent her days playing, exploring or just watching the action from afar, waiting for that special someone to come along and make her a part of their family.

Louisa quickly booked an appointment right away to meet Maeve. “I watched her brother and sister running around and I watched her try to keep up and decided with that tenacity and spirit she was mine!” said Louisa.

While it took Bailey a few days to get used to having another kitty in the house, he soon came around. Now he and Maeve are BFFs (best feline friends). “Bailey is not a real cuddler except with Maeve,” said Louisa. “She head butts for attention and gives her little squeaky purr sounds. Her wobbly demeanour is adorable and it does not impede her running at breakneck speed after Bailey.”

Bailey and Maeve make a purrfect pair. She has a habit of pecking at her food, leaving her with a messy face after mealtime. Bailey helps her out by cleaning her face and, in return, she cleans his ears. Maeve also plays fun cat games with Bailey and they keep each other company during naptime. Louisa says Maeve has, “made a wonderful addition to our home and a great companion for Bailey. She is very, very sweet.”

Thank you Louisa for giving a loving home to a special needs cat. We’re glad Bailey has a new friend and Maeve has a forever home with kind guardians to care for her.

Maria Von Trapp (now Cricket) and Flossy (now Cookie) had a difficult time on their own before coming to VOKRA. Maria started life as a street cat and Flossy was removed from a household with too many cats. After an unsuccessful adoption, Maria was placed in a foster home with Flossy. The two cats bonded immediately and the decision was made to adopt out the newfound feline friends together.

Having grown up with cats and wanting to adopt for quite a while, Coby was waiting for the right time to bring a cat (or two) into her home. After catsitting for a friend for several weeks, she knew she was ready to adopt and reached out to us shortly thereafter.

Coby immediately felt a connection to Maria and Flossy when she saw photos of them on our website. She knew she wanted to bring them home as soon she met them. Coby remembers how, “they looked so shy and nervous, which made my heart hurt. I wanted to give them a forever home where they could feel secure and loved.”

Maria and Flossy, now known as Cricket and Cookie, came home with Coby and have adjusted to their new life on their own time. Cookie loves to be the centre of attention and was happy to have couch snuggle time from the start. Cricket, however, took a while to accept she was now in a safe place and preferred to keep her distance under a table. “I’d pet her while she was under the table, which she didn’t mind, and I let her come to me on her own time,” said Coby. “For whatever reason, she has never been afraid of me when I’m in bed… she loves a long cuddle in the morning and really gets into belly and head rubs.”

Cricket has recently come around to life in a safe, happy home and has come a long way from that anxious kitty under the table. “I’m so proud of how far little Cricket has come,” said Coby. “In just the past couple of weeks she has started to snuggle in with Cookie and me on the couch. I’m pretty proud of Cookie too, as she used to swat her away, so Cricket’s first attempts to cuddle were thwarted by her sister from another mister.”

Cats are, by nature, creatures of habit and Cricket and Cookie are no exception. They have set the schedule for playtime, bedtime and TV time! Cricket likes to hang out in her ‘kitty cave’ with one eye on the TV and the other on Coby and Cookie. While Cookie likes to remind Cricket of who’s the alpha kitty in the household, they live a peaceful co-existence and have learned to share the attention and toys.

Cricket and Cookie definately hit the jackpot with their new person Coby! Thank you for giving these girls a loving, happy home. We wish them many happy years of couch cuddles and TV time to come.

PS: Some info about the split screen pic of Cricket. She had just finished having some catnip and was completely spaced out and frozen like that for about 15 minutes. Cookie sat just out of frame staring at her the whole time.

Vela and her kitten Pyxis are two black beauties who came to VOKRA as the result of a hoarding situation. Despite having a rough start in life, these two adjusted well to foster care, having enjoyed exploring their surroundings and investigating the comings and goings of their foster home. Their first adoption fell through, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they found their perfect match in Brian and Gerry.

After losing their three wonderful cats due to illness and old age in a span of only seven months, Brian and Gerry were ready to welcome new feline family members into their home. Having adopted black cats in the past, they saw Vela and Pyxis’ profiles on VOKRA’s website and knew they were the perfect kitties for them.

Pyxis

It’s now been one year since their adoption and Vela and Pyxis are doing well in their new home. The cats have their regular routine of 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. treat time, as well as watching the bird feeder and squirrel activities from the closed-in deck. Pyxis is the more outgoing of the two, always greeting Brian and Gerry after they return home. Vela is a little more reserved, but always welcomes a scratch or two behind the ear.

The cats have also become seasoned travellers! They recently returned from a two week RV trip to the BC Interior with Brian and Gerry. This was their fourth trip and according to Brian, “they are super travellers and campers. They of course remain in the RV and spend a great deal of time watching for wildlife at each location.”

Vela

It certainly has been a happy ending for cats and humans alike. Brian put it best when he said, “it has been a pleasure giving them a forever home and they reward us by making sure we know they are part of our family….they are truly gentle souls.”

Thank you so much Brian and Gerry for providing a loving home to Vela and Pyxis!

Marilyn’s cat Mitzi was feeling lonely after her other cat crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Mitzi had started to change his behaviour due to being alone during the daytime and Marilyn decided it was time to bring home another kitty.

Marilyn knew she wanted to adopt adorable Ali as soon as she saw her on VOKRA’s website. Ali had been adopted before but was surrendered when her previous adopter became pregnant. Marilyn had a feeling Ali and Mitzi would get along. “I was a bit apprehensive about how Mitzi would react, but he was so lonely,” said Marilyn. “He gave her a big kiss when they met and they’ve been inseparable ever since.”

Ali

Even though they have different personalities, Mitzi and Ali are best friends. “Even though I have two separate cat perches, they often share the same one,” adds Marilyn “I was also pleased to see that my senior cat Mitzi, 14 years old, now still likes to initiate the same chasing, playing and wrestling games with Ali that he enjoyed with his previous companion cat. Ali will sometimes groom Mitzi’s face and he looks totally blissed when she does this.”

Now Ali has a loving home, Mitzi has a kitty friend and Marilyn has two happy cats. “Mitzi is very talkative, with a loud meow, and always has lots to say when I get home,” said Marilyn. “Ali is very affectionate and quiet; her meow is more like a ‘squeak’…and she likes to cuddle next to me on the couch.”

We’re so happy for Marilyn, Ali and Mitzi and wish them many wonderful years together!

Oliver’s an adorable furball who met his loving family on a snowy day in November 2016. With a fabulous purrsonality paired with charm, Oliver’s fearless, adventurous, clever and sociable.

Moving to Canada from Brazil, Fernanda quickly found herself volunteering with VOKRA to help what she loves most in life – kitties! She had rescued her cat, Tom, from the streets of Brazil and he also came with her to Canada on a 21 hour of flight. However, it wasn’t easy for Tom to settle into his new home. He behaved strangely and cried nonstop. He would stare at two neighbourhood cats all day, wanting to get their attention. It was clear he was asking for a little brother so Fernanda and her husband then adopted Sam, and the two became the best of friends.

As Fernanda got ready to celebrate her first birthday in Canada, her husband got in touch with VOKRA and wanted to give her a new “son” as a birthday present. Visiting the foster home, they met Oliver who was the biggest of the litter. For a kitten of 3-4 months, he was huge! Fernanda fell in love with Oliver instantly, knowing she had to bring him home and grow her family of kitties from two to three. While slightly doubtful about introducing a third cat to the house, Fernanda’s husband encouraged her to adopt Oliver. It was a good idea, as in two days he won his brothers’ love and affection.

As a cat lover, having three beautiful, healthy, smart and friendly cats is all Fernanda could ask for. Of the three, Oliver’s what Fernanda calls a “tick,” as he’s always with her and her husband and loves to sleep and cuddle with them. He’s always found in the laps of all their visitors too. Fernanda is over the moon and happy to share her love of her furballs with her husband.

“Today, my husband, who didn’t want any cats, now calls himself the daddy of three and it’s hilarious to hear him call Tom, Sam and Oliver to sleep in bed every night,” said Fernanda. “We’ve travelled a bit and he says he doesn’t want to travel anymore as he can’t stay away from his kitties!”

Adopting Oliver was the best thing we did in life,” she adds. “He makes my days much happier along with his brothers and we’re not sure if the family is complete. There may be a fourth one day!”

We are so happy to hear how much joy Oliver brings to Fernanda’s family! Thank you to Fernanda for choosing VOKRA and giving Oliver a furever home and a lifetime of love.